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Posts Tagged ‘#FloridaVC’

ecoSPEARS to Deploy Clean Water Technology at Port of San Diego America’s Cup Harbor

Posted on: March 22nd, 2021 by Kirenaga Partners

As part of a two-year pilot project under the Port of San Diego’s Blue Economy Incubator, ecoSPEARS, a cleantech solutions company ushering in the carbonless future of environmental cleanup for toxic contaminants, will deploy NASA-developed technology to remove Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) from sediments in America’s Cup Harbor. The primary goal will be to determine how much PCB mass the SPEARS technology will remove over a predetermined period. The SPEARS technology will be deployed starting December 14.

“Our Blue Economy Incubator program seeks groundbreaking ways to protect the environment and San Diego Bay. The results of this pilot project have the potential to demonstrate an innovative win-win approach to a long-time pollution problem in waters worldwide,” said Commissioner Rafael Castellanos, Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners. “With a green approach that uses less emissions, energy, and water than traditional cleanup methods, this pilot project is a perfect complement to our efforts as a Port to ensure San Diego Bay remains a vital resource.”

ecoSPEARS is the exclusive licensee of the NASA-developed Sorbent Polymer Extraction and Remediation System (SPEARS), a sustainable remediation technology to extract PCBs, dioxins, and other persistent organic pollutants from the environment.

Read the full article here

Stratospheric ballooning company Space Perspective raises $7 million

Posted on: March 22nd, 2021 by Kirenaga Partners

WASHINGTON — Space Perspective, a startup planning to offer tourists trips to the edge of space in a high-altitude balloon, has raised $7 million in a seed round that will allow the company to test its technologies.

Space Perspective announced Dec. 2 it closed the seed round, led by funds Prime Movers Lab and Base Ventures. Others participating in the round included Kirenaga Partners’ Central Florida Tech Fund, 1517 Fund, Schox, E2MC Ventures and SpaceFund Venture Capital, as well as entrepreneur and author Tony Robbins.

The company, with about 15 employees currently, will use the funding to continue development of Spaceship Neptune, a stratospheric balloon system designed to carry people to an altitude of 30 kilometers. Such flights would give people an experience similar to some aspects of spaceflight, notably the view.

Read the full article here

How Soon Will Tourists Be Traveling to Space?

Posted on: March 22nd, 2021 by Kirenaga Partners

How about a post-COVID adventure into the cosmos?

With no concrete end in sight to this pandemic (thanks anti-maskers), we’re forced to think about what the future of travel may hold. And by the time we’re actually able to leave the country and explore our beautiful world, there may be an even wilder option for the adventure seekers out there—space travel.

That’s right, in the next few years, multiple companies are gearing up to take you to space. You’ll be able to float in zero gravity, marvel at our beautiful blue ball from afar (flat earthers be damned), and see more stars than you could ever imagine. This isn’t a giant hoax (like the idea that masks don’t work), this is a real thing that you’ll really be able to do—that is, if you have the money.

So, here’s to hoping that locking ourselves in our homes for a year or two will be rewarded with the ultimate travel adventure of leaving Earth behind.

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Space Perspective

Teaming up with Exclusive Resorts (a members-only vacation club), Space Perspective is planning to send travel explorers up to the edge of space via a balloon dubbed Spaceship Neptune. Exclusive Resorts members will get priority flights as eight people will soar to over 100,000 feet on a six-hour journey to see the curvature of the earth up close and personal. Flights are planned for 2024 and probably won’t be cheap. Memberships to Exclusive Resorts has initiation fees in the six figures and per-day vacation costs over $1,000. Still, you’re almost in space!

Read the full article here

Cleaning up: Promising pilot test destroying groundwater contamination in Spokane Valley

Posted on: December 2nd, 2020 by Kirenaga Partners

Kaiser Aluminum’s Trentwood facility is in the early phases of testing new technology that destroys over 90 percent of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination in water at their facility in the Spokane Valley.

The Trentwood facility has produced specialized aluminum products for more than 75 years and, like many facilities around the country, used PCB-containing oils in an effort to safely and efficiently operate some industrial equipment. Over the years, some of the PCB oil leaked, contaminating groundwater under the aluminum-casting building near the Spokane River.

Kaiser has been researching and implementing technologies to address the contaminated groundwater, and is now examining two processes to see which will more effectively reduce the threat posed by the PCBs.

To read the full article click here

Space Perspective Moves Closer to the Edge of Space, with Seed Round Financing and a Stellar Investment Team

Posted on: December 2nd, 2020 by Kirenaga Partners

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. – Space Perspective today announced it has closed a $7 million series seed financing for the development and early flights of Spaceship Neptune to the edge of space. The infusion of capital advances the human space flight company another step closer to fundamentally changing the way people have access to space for research and tourism.

“We are delighted to welcome our new investors to the Space Perspective team. We selected them because they are the cutting edge of venture capital. Their active approach to supporting founders is a critical component of executing on our mission to give people the life-changing experience of seeing our planet in space,” said Space Perspective Founder and Co-CEO Jane Poynter, who made the announcement today at the Web Summit 2020.

“Our ability to make space accessible in unprecedented ways carries immense importance,” added Taber MacCallum, also Founder and Co-CEO. “We are grateful that this premier group of investors recognizes that space tourism has arrived and is a significant driver in the future growth of commercial spaceflight.”

The financing was led by Prime Movers Lab, the lead investor in Momentus who recently announced its SPAC merger, and Base Ventures who is a leading Silicon Valley tech fund. The investor group also includes world-renowned entrepreneur, author and business strategist Tony Robbins, and venture capital firms Kirenaga Partners’ Central Florida Tech Fund, 1517 Fund, Schox, E2MC Ventures and SpaceFund Venture Capital. Anton Brevde of Prime Movers and Kirby Harris of Base Ventures serve on the Space Perspective Board of Directors. David Scalzo of Kirenaga is an advisor.

To read the full article click here

How one company is zapping germs away on transit systems

Posted on: June 1st, 2020 by Kirenaga Partners

Kirenaga founder and CEO David Scalzo talks about the growing interest in the use of UV light to disinfect surfaces amid the coronavirus crisis.

To hear David’s full interview click here

Violet Defense and NY MTA launch first ever pilot with UVC Technology

Posted on: May 28th, 2020 by Kirenaga Partners

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced an ultraviolet (UV) light pilot program proven to kill COVID-19, with the first phase set to launch on subways, buses, and other New York City Transit facilities throughout the system early next week.

The MTA pilot will deploy approximately 150 dual-headed mobile devices from Denver-based startup PURO Lighting to test and evaluate the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of UVC technology in a number of settings across New York City Transit including trains, buses, stations and occupational facilities, using strict protocols and procedures to ensure the safety of the employees and customers. After evaluation, the pilot’s second phase will expand to Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North.

To read the full article click here

Orlando company utilizes UV light units to protect against coronavirus

Posted on: May 28th, 2020 by Kirenaga Partners

Violet Defense production increased sevenfold amid COVID-19 pandemic

Since the pandemic began, the race has been on for new ways to protect yourself from coronavirus.

Just weeks ago, an advisor with the Department of Homeland Security said that they found the virus dies under ultraviolet rays.

“UV absolutely kills coronavirus,” Violet Defense CEO Terry Berland said.

Berland showed News 6 the technology behind his SAGE units, which stands for surface air germ elimination.

The high-powered flashes of light can clean a space with greater efficiency than aerosol disinfectant sprays because it also neutralizes the air, Berland said.

The bulbs are much more powerful than what you would find in something like a tanning bed, he added. Because of the strength of the technology and UV rays, Berland said the units won’t run if they detect someone present in a room.

Over the past couple of months, Berland said the company has seen an exponential growth in orders.

“We’re about seven times where we were back in February,” he said.

Violet Defense employees have already installed the company’s technology in places like the Amway Center, the arena where Orlando’s NBA team plays, and the Orange County Convention Center.

“Those are just the kinds of spaces that no one ever thought about using UV for disinfecting,” Berland said. “No one ever thought about disinfection as a big thing. Post-COVID, I think all of the world is going to think about all that differently.”

IROC Decontamination is utilizing the technology as part of a newly-debuted mobile trailer that will aid first responders out in the field.

“We’re ready to start moving this around,” IROC Decontamination President Serg Albino said.

Albino told News 6 the trailer will help Seminole County deputies and firefighters with disinfecting gear.

“Decontaminating their bomb suits, their hazmat gear and the larger equipment,” he said. “You can decontaminate a lot of things in about 15 minutes. Large things you cannot spray down with aerosol peroxide, things that corrode easily, and electronics.”

To view the article and watch the video click here

Orlando Firm [Violet Defense] Harnessing UV Rays to Defeat the CoronaVirus

Posted on: May 11th, 2020 by Kirenaga Partners

Like a lot of us, Mark Nathan noticed that no matter how successful a business trip had been, he regularly returned home only to fall ill from the bacteria and viruses he encountered on airplanes, in hotel and conference rooms and everywhere in between.

What sets Nathan apart is that he decided to do something about it, and that decision ultimately placed him on the front lines fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

Trained and educated as a scientist and engineer, Nathan began experimenting with UV light and various ways to boost its germ-killing energy ability.

“Think of ultraviolet light as coming in three flavors,” said Terrance Berland, president and CEO of the company that would come of all this research, Violet Defense.

“Basically, you’ve got flavors A, B and C and the sun produces a bunch of it,” he explained. “A and B are what give you a sunburn. C we don’t get too much of because it’s blocked by the ozone layer.

“What our technology does is use a special ultraviolet source, a Xenon bulb, that flashes like a strobe light, and when it does it produces all three of the flavors on the spectrum,” he said.

Once he understood the germ-killing ability of the UV light source, Nathan developed a specialized lens that would both beef up the light’s disinfectant power and keep the system small enough to make it highly mobile and deployable.

Quality assurance testing showed Nathan’s bulb kills up to 99.9% of harmful bacteria and viruses on surfaces and in the air, including the stubbornly death-resistant norovirus.

Read the full article here

Kirenaga Invests in Violet Defense

Posted on: April 20th, 2020 by Kirenaga Partners

Kirenaga Partners is pleased to announce it completed a Series A investment in Violet Defense Group, a technology leader in providing ultraviolet lighting solutions for germ disinfection, as well as agricultural lighting solutions for indoor growing.

Orlando-based Violet Defense utilizes its patented ultraviolet lighting technology to provide full-spectrum germ-killing. Violet Defense’s Surface and Air Germ Elimination (S.A.G.E.) devices can be used in mobile deployments or permanently installed, and their products are currently used in operating rooms, hotels, schools, ambulances, food processing, and athletic facilities. Violet Defense has previously announced collaborations with Siemens and the Orlando Magic, and most recently, is working with Koch Industries in a design collaboration to address PPE and mask issues associated with the COVID-19 crisis.

The investment, led by Kirenaga with participation from existing investor Northwestern University, comes at a time when demand for virus-killing solutions is increasing due to COVID-19. Violet Defense has raised more than $10 million in venture funding, with the vast majority provided by Kirenaga.

Violet Defense expects to use the proceeds to expand its management team, invest in next generation products for both the domestic and international marketplace, and rapidly ramp up manufacturing capacity to meet increased customer demand.

For more information, please contact:

Kirenaga Partners

Dave Scalzo

Managing Partner

(914) 202-6046

david.scalzo@kirenaga.com

Leighton Yenor

Marketing

(407) 575-3918

leighton.yenor@kirenaga.com

Violet Defense

Terrance Berland

Chief Executive Officer

(407) 433-1104 ext 1004

tberland@violetdefense.com

Jessica Jones

Marketing

(407) 433-1104 ext 1002

jjones@violetdefense.com